A Lakeland auto body shop is asking the city for help with nearby infrastructure after being inundated with water over two feet high during heavy downpours on Thursday afternoon.
The owners of Twin Diesel Performance said that this is the worst flooding they have seen since their shop was nearly destroyed during Hurricane Milton.
“At the point a hurricane comes through, potentially I could lose 90%. Everything that we’ve worked our lives for, just because the infrastructure unfortunately isn’t up to par,” said Daniel Goodwald, a co-owner.
Within 30 minutes, mechanics and employees had to wade through knee-deep water to save inventory, cars in the shop, and equipment.
The City of Lakeland provided the following statement:
“There are many variables and contributing factors that caused areas throughout Polk County to be impacted by heavy rainfall yesterday.
City staff from the Public Works Department visited flooded areas near Memorial yesterday and today to determine what factors contributed to the flooding. Staff found no drainage blockages in the storm pipe systems but noted that the area collects stormwater runoff from the surrounding area.
City staff will continue working to improve the understanding of what occurred in the area and identify any appropriate next steps.
While there isn’t immediate information at this time about any specific projects that have been completed to mitigate flooding in this area since Milton/Helene, improvements have been made in this area, such as installing raised grates on top of the inlets to prevent debris from clogging an inlet.”